Why Does One Beach Wreck Coins, Yet the One Beside it Doesn't?

[detectorman5050]

Hi

I travelled some distance recently to do some beach detecting. I had to stay overnight due to the distance from my home.

I hit the local beach in great anticipation, as the location is a bit out the way. I started digging up modern coins, and every single one of them was totally destroyed! Most of the 1p's, 2p's were at best almost blank disks. I even dug up a 2p that was beginning to disintegrate (never seen that before.) From the state of my initial finds I thought 'this place is no good for metal detecting, and I'm best heading home.'

I had 2 theories as to why the coins were in such terrible condition. The first was the 'sand' was grit like, and secondly there was a harbour wall that I know the sea smashes off with real ferocity in winter.

Anyway, to cut a long story short, I wandered 400 yards, to the next bit of beach (in a separate bay,) and the finds were in excellent condition. There was no harbour wall for things to smash off for over 100 years, and it was mainly sandy, with rocks, shingle at low tide. I found 'good condition' silver, 100 year old bronze, and 70 year old three pence. The bronze and three pence were in better condition than the ones I've found on pasture.

So, has anyone else noticed that certain beaches ruin coins, and others don't?

[Koala]

Often coin coins on beaches come out better than in the fields depending on the conditions.

Without oxygen there is no corrosion.


I have had a debased shilling of the top of the hard pack. The bottom side was perfect like the day it was dropped. The top side hadn't corroded but the action of the sand had polished some of the detail away.


Often the new coins that are still in loose sand come up in a terrible state due to the surface getting scratched and air and salt getting to the iron core